One Year Later: A Buyer's Guide

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The DC Universe has leaped forward one year. We help you pick the titles to follow and warn you of the few you should avoid.

By Hilary Goldstein

A Crisis has ripped through the DC Universe and nothing will ever be the same again. Though we won't get a finale to Infinite Crisis until April, we can already see the end result of the devastation in DCU titles shipping this month. DC has jumped forward to One Year Later. Every title in the DCU has skipped a year of continuity, leaving readers with a new status quo and a bevy or potentially excellent titles.

With more than 20 One Year Later books to choose from, some readers may be having trouble figuring out what to buy and what to leave on the shelf. We size up the OYL titles and tell you which titles suit a particular reader. Hopefully this will make some of the tough choices in the coming weeks a little bit easier.

March

The bulk of OYL titles are not new books. Just about every OYL book on the shelf is one that was already coming out prior to the events of Infinite Crisis. It's these ongoing titles that will prove trickiest to navigate as new creative teams and new directions make for some tantalizing options.

Good News: After James Robinson wraps up his short run, Paul Dini takes over. As writers claim with almost every reboot of Detective, Dini wants to focus on the crime-solving aspect. It will be a very different book than Batman.

Sad News: It's been tried before and no one has every managed to maintain a different pulse in Detective for long. It's inevitable that this series will eventually be interchangeable with Batman.

Who Should Buy: Noir fans and those who want something decidedly different than your typical ongoing Bat-Book.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man

Good News: This title is still around. It seemed to have an uncertain future, but DC has put some faith behind the book, which should continue to be a quality read.

Sad News: It would have been nice to get some new blood on the series. Though Stuart Moore is capable, this book would have benefited with a creative change-up.

Who Should Buy: Those who enjoy powerful characters gripped in moral dilemmas.

Green Arrow

Good News: Ollie Queen's still alive, still has his arrows and gets to kick some ass as Mayor of Star City.

Sad News: Winick should have been cycled off this book to allow for a fresh approach to Ollie Q. Winick needs to refresh, even if only for a few months. This could be stale from the start.

Who Should Buy: Those who have lots to spend on extra books. Everyone should come back for May's issue #62 -- A rematch between Green Arrow and Deathstroke.

Green Lantern

Good News: Geoff Johns stays on this series and finally gets Hal out of his funk. The first few issues of GL felt sedentary. Now things kick into action and Hal emerges as a hero once more.

Sad News: If the art team remains consistent, we have little to gripe about.

Who Should Buy: Folks who collect the "core" books of the DCU. This title is about to join that small group.